18% Tourist Tax In Greece...

[andrewjw]

For those of us currently heading down to Greece the recent announcement by the govt there to increase restaurant tax and accommodation tax from 13% and 6.5% respectively to 18% comes as a bit of a blow!

What is not clear is whether the accommodation tax applies to campsites ( so far I have only seen mention of hotels) and exactly when the tax increase is to be applied.

On the face of it it seems a crazy thing to do...

 

[Peter & Elaine]

Another nail in the lid
Good job we ain't going that far south this summer

 

[Yorick]

That'll put off tourists

 

[Robert Clark]

As dining out and hotels in Greece are relatively inexpensive then I don't think the increase will make much difference

 

[Snowbird]

As dining out and hotels in Greece are relatively inexpensive then I don't think the increase will make much difference

The rise in the £ against the Emu this morning should cover it anyway.

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[Robert Clark]

Did tourists stop coming to the UK when VAT went up to 20% - me thinks not

 

[Wildbill]

Do you think the Greeks will pass it on to there government

 

[Cat53]

Have two friends who are off to Greece this year!

 

[spitfire]

Tax is 20% here and you all still come and as Snowbird says pound/ euro exchange still makes it cheap. Love Portugal and Greece and France too of course but I live there so not a holiday destination for us lol

 

[Lenny HB]

Don't see how it will make much difference to us Brits, last year the Euro was 1.20/£ as long as it stays in the 1.30's it will be a lot cheaper holiday this year.

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[Hollyberry]

Tax is 20% here and you all still come and as Snowbird says pound/ euro exchange still makes it cheap. Love Portugal and Greece and France too of course but I live there so not a holiday destination for us lol

Is the tourist tax fixed at 20% ? I used to be sent a form ( up til 2012) and I had to charge 44 centimes per adult per night. Pensioners were exempt, as were any guests with a disability. That was a Chambre D'Hote. I think campsites charged a similar rate, Gites were slightly different.

 

[DBK]

I think the biggest worry for anyone going to Greece at the moment would be the country running out of money - which would mean no cash from ATMs.

Best to keep plenty of cash handy in a biscuit tin - like everyone else in Greece!

 

[Yorick]

I think the biggest worry for anyone going to Greece at the moment would be the country running out of money - which would mean no cash from ATMs.

Best to keep plenty of cash handy in a biscuit tin - like everyone else in Greece!

 

[Bailey58]

There's an echo on Fun.

Nobody expected the Greeks to pay their way out of their hole did they, they've passed it on to the tourists.

 

[rikfos]

So far there has been no increase on tourist tax. Wine is £2.10 for one and a half litres and is very palatable. Prices have not gone up but have stayed the same. Too much scaremongering on here, get the facts first.

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[Lenny HB]

That's good news we sail from Ancona on 16th Sept.

Especially as we are in France at the moment and since we have now fully retired every time I look at a restaurant menu the boss says we are not holiday you know, just away from home.

 

[Goronwy]

That's good news we sail from Ancona on 16th Sept.

Especially as we are in France at the moment and since we have now fully retired every time I look at a restaurant menu the boss says we are not holiday you know, just away from home.

Quite agree,I share your boss's sentiments,we are sailing from Ancona first week in September for 2 months in Greece.

 

[Judge Mental]

but surely this tourist tax on top of local VAT? 18.5% is extortionate and damaging..they haven't a clue, but economic situation really bad there.

 

[rikfos]

but surely this tourist tax on top of local VAT? 18.5% is extortionate and damaging..they haven't a clue, but economic situation really bad there.

I am in Greece for 3 months, I or my friends have not been charged any tourist Tax!

 

[Judge Mental]

I am in Greece for 3 months, I or my friends have not been charged any tourist Tax!

Greeks not collecting taxes......now that something new!

Its just been introduced. will be introduced in hotels and restaurants apparently

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/europe/article4433786.ece

also a tax on hole in the wall withdrawals to slow down the run on banks. Billions have been sent out of country already.

Yeah everything sounds tickety boo

I remember being there in the 70's and when we used fuel coupons.

how greeks live now:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/the-way-greeks-live-now.html?_r=0


"Visitors to Greece will have to pay an 18 per cent tax on hotel and restaurant bills. Source: News Limited

Tourists to Greek islands will be forced to pay an 18 per cent tax on hotel and restaurant bills so that Athens can raise money to appease Brussels.

The plans were denounced as “catastrophic” by heads of tourism and came as officials at the European Central Bank drew up plans for a parallel currency for Greece as the country hurtles towards bankruptcy. Yves Mersch, a member of the bank’s executive board, admitted that there were preparations for a Greek default.

“There are intermediate solutions circulating, such as the issuance of a parallel currency or IOUs,” he told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. “All these measures are among the exceptional tools that any government can consider if it has no other options. But all of them have a high cost.”

The Greek government is refusing to surrender austerity “red lines” to the eurozone ahead of negotiations on Monday, raising the prospect of the ECB pulling the plug on the country’s banks.

Greece is defying pressure from the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund to cut pensions and deregulate legislation that protects workers, in talks to unblock €7.2 billion in loans to the Greek government.

Under the new plan, VAT would be set at 18 per cent and replace the multitude of rates now in force. The tax on restaurant bills in the islands would rise from 13 per cent to 18 per cent, while that on accommodation would nearly triple from 6.5 per cent. The reform is considered crucial to unblock billions of euros in aid and ease a four-month deadlock in bailout talks with Brussels and the IMF. European negotiators had demanded that Athens come forward with radical measures to win the funds to pay Greek public sector staff.

“It’s catastrophic,” said Andreas Andreadis, head of the Confederation of Greece Tourism. “What are millions of Britons and Germans going to do after having made bookings and paid for package deals this summer? It’ll probably scare them off.”

Like Spain, Portugal and Italy, Greece relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for about 20 per cent of its gross domestic product and one in five jobs. With 25 per cent of the country’s workforce unemployed and a seven-year recession biting deep, the stakes are high for the tourist season.

After a dip during the financial crisis, tourism rebounded last year, bringing in 24 million tourists and €13.5 billion, elevating Greece and its islands to Europe’s most popular holiday destination. At least a million more visitors were expected this year, but fears of financial turmoil led many to cancel.

“You don’t kill the only cow that’s generating milk for you,” Mr Andreadis said. “Forcing foreigners to pay a premium on package holidays will just drive them to other destinations.”

Since the start of the crisis, VAT rates have seesawed. In 2009, the tax on food and accommodation was 9 per cent. In 2011 it rose to 13 per cent for food but fell to 6.5 per cent for accommodation. In 2012 food tax shot up to 23 per cent, only to be cut back to 13 per cent in 2013.

With Greece locked out of international markets and unable to issue short-term debt, a desperate lack of liquidity has exacerbated the country’s financial woes. Months of talks over a new bailout program have tested creditors’ patience.

The Times"

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[andrewjw]

We have been in Lefkada for a week now...we get the ferry to Kefalonia tomorrow.
The atmosphere here is no different to normal...quiet and friendly. The prices in the supermarkets , tavernas and filling stations are the same as last year...with the better exchange rate for the Euro that means everything seems very good value.
On the face of it this area of Greece seems very much business as usual...

 

[Forestboy]

Greece is a lovely country and the Greeks are lovely people. Its not exactly expensive anyway especially with the strong pound. Can't see a few extra pence of tax stopping anyone from going.
If tbey do more fool them they're loss.

 

[Judge Mental]

http://www.theguardian.com/business...ut-talks?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2#comment-53675676

Not looking good the poker game continues.....

 

[busby]

For those of us currently heading down to Greece the recent announcement by the govt there to increase restaurant tax and accommodation tax from 13% and 6.5% respectively to 18% comes as a bit of a blow!

What is not clear is whether the accommodation tax applies to campsites ( so far I have only seen mention of hotels) and exactly when the tax increase is to be applied.

On the face of it it seems a crazy thing to do...

23% now,,,,,but still decent value..BUSBY.

 

[Lenny HB]

Food & beer in restaurants still cheap.
Filled up with diesel at a Shell garage yesterday €1.044, Shell does tend to be the cheapest.

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[pappajohn]

but surely this tourist tax on top of local VAT? 18.5% is extortionate and damaging..they haven't a clue, but economic situation really bad there.

It would appear not.

Quote:
Under the new plan, VAT would be set at 18 per cent and replace the multitude of rates now in force. The tax on restaurant bills in the islands would rise from 13 per cent to 18 per cent, while that on accommodation would nearly triple from 6.5 per cent.
Unquote:

It would appear it isnt a tourist tax but a tax on everyone....VAT.

 

[Judge Mental]

It would appear not.

Quote:
Under the new plan, VAT would be set at 18 per cent and replace the multitude of rates now in force. The tax on restaurant bills in the islands would rise from 13 per cent to 18 per cent, while that on accommodation would nearly triple from 6.5 per cent.
Unquote:

It would appear it isnt a tourist tax but a tax on everyone....VAT.

@lennyhb there at the moment, he is a tight as a camels arse in a sand storm...Not said nufink yet re prices

 

[Lenny HB]

On the mainland VAT on restaurant bills is 23% and it's still cheap, the increases only effect the islands where it was was 5%.

Wait until I catch up with you Eddie boy, I'm not tight just very, very, very careful.

 

[andrewjw]

We've been back just over a week now...tan fading fast..

Compared with here Greece is still great value for campervanners...thinking of meals out , diesel and buying food and wine from the local shops.

3.50 Euros for 1.5 litres of very drinkable red/rose/white wine for example!

 

[Lenny HB]

3.50 Euros for 1.5 litres of very drinkable red/rose/white wine for example!

Watered the plants with one of those last night glad we had a backup stock of Italian Vino.

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